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Drepung Loseling Monastery, Atlanta, GAFoundations Series

Session 1 -- amatha Meditation

amatha meditation is also known as "calm abiding" meditation. Thismeditation is to help in calming down the mind from distractions to achieve

clarity and stability of the mind. This kind of meditation is not unique toBuddhism but is used in other traditions as well. amatha meditation is aboutrefining attention. Our mind is a reservoir of peace and happiness, but we aresimply unable to manifest that joy, suppleness, and calmness because it remainsburied deep in our minds due to being clouded by daily distractions, afflictiveemotions, and so forth. In the Buddhist tradition, this peaceful mind is the truenatural state of the mind and it is merely obscured in most sentient beings.Samdhi is a state of mental stabilization which is characterized by both clarityand stability.

Attention is the key to learning; and this meditation helps you to refine attentionvoluntarily. It is not hard to see that our mind is untrained like a monkey --jumping from one topic or thought object to another. Our mind is out ofcontrol. This is the source of such things as afflictive emotions, hatred, anger,harsh speech, etc. Because of these, we lose the ability to have peace of mind.Meditation has a tremendous impact on our emotional intelligence (how wedeal with our emotions of anger, jealousy, etc.) and this has a far greaterimpact on our joy and success in life than our cognitive intelligence.

We know from the "fight or flight syndrome" that stresses in our mind are also

conveyed to our body; and therefore this practice of meditation also has abeneficial effect on health, especially during this modern age of complexity andmultitasking. In our modern age, this "fight or flight" reflex which protected usas primitive beings may, in fact, be detrimental to us because of all of thepsychological stressors that we must endure. Even if there are no actualdangers around, seeing something on television or just thinking of somethingdisturbing can trigger the cascade of hormones that can cause anger, chronicmental and physical stress, and the things related to stress like hypertension,strokes, and so forth. It has a "wear and tear" effect on our body. We live in anage of fear with demands like rent, mortgage, health care worries, relationshipproblems, terrorism, and so forth. Our external conditions (house, clothes,relationships, etc.) docontribute to a certain extent our happiness, but unless wecan find a way to quiet this inner raging, we cannot find true peace.

The thing that prevents us from attaining genuine joy is that our minds areafflicted and distracted by these afflictive (or destructive) emotions, especiallyby the false notion of an independent, unchanging "I." We create a dualism of"I" against others and lose our sense of connectivity and interdependence. Peace

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is about clearing these distractions, unhealthy cravings, afflictive emotions, andso forth.

"A person with a distracted mind dwells (is trapped) between the fangs of the

afflictive emotions." -- ntideva (Bodhicaryvatra)

So, thoughts and emotions contribute to our health and well-being, and amathahelps us in this respect, as well as mentally. Moreover, looking from thespiritual aspect, amatha meditation is one of the most important elements wecan use to advance ourselves. In order to cultivate emptiness meditation,bodhicitta, and other aspects of the path to enlightenment, we need thisfundamental training of our mind.

The benefits of cultivating amatha meditation are numerous. One can make

one's body and mind very serviceable so it can be used for whatever purposeyou direct; and one can then be able to accomplish one's spiritual goals instriving for liberation. Also the classical texts state that whateversupramundane qualities have come from rvakas, pratyekabuddhas,bodhisattvas, or even the Buddhas themselves have all come out of cultivatingamatha and vipayan(insight) meditation, that is the stability of the mind andthe analytical aspect of the mind -- calm-abiding and special insight. Essentially,all human problems relate either to the unserviceability of the body, or to theunserviceability of the mind.

All of the hundreds of thousands of meditative techniques taught by the

Buddha at their coreare based either onamatha or vipa

yan

meditation. Theseare the foundational methods which are included in some form in all of the

various types of meditation taught by the Buddha including tantra.

The definition of amatha is "a single-pointed mental state that has pacifieddistractions to external objects and attends to its inner meditative objectcontinuously and spontaneously, conjoined with mental and physical pliancy orsuppleness" (an inner joy, if you will). amatha meditation is an attention orconcentration through which one is able to focus one's mind effortlessly andspontaneously on the chosen object of meditation combined with both mentaland physical pliancy. The object of one's meditation may be physical orimaginary -- often one's meditative object is a conceptual one.

There are two features that must be present to call a meditation amathameditation -- (1) there must be the attainment of physical and mental pliancy,that is, a kind of pleasurable feeling or total serviceability, and (2) there must bespontaneous attention able to focus on the object of meditation for prolongedperiods.

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But these two outcomes must have been first preceded by three aspects of themind:

(1) stability of one's mind,(2) limpidity (or clarity) of one's mind, like muddy water that has not

been stirred so that the mud has sunk to the bottom and the water

is left perfectly clear, and(3) vividness of one's mind, like the bright sunlight that illuminates andallows you to see all your surroundings.

These three cultivations automatically give rise to the aforementioned twofeatures and give rise to the energy to sustain one's meditation. Once one hasgained these two features of amatha, there would be no problem in focusing onone's chosen object even for weeks at a time or even, it is said, for 20 yearscontinuously. Both these two are accomplished by gaining control of one'sinner energy or winds (Tibetan rlung).

In reference toamatha and vipa

yan

meditation, we often use the example ofa butter lamp shining at night. With amatha meditation, the lamp is stable and

unwavering. With vipayanmeditation, the lamp is bright and illuminates allof the paintings surrounding us on the walls, enabling us to see them withvividness.

"With insight alone, divorced from calm-abiding, the Yogi's attention willbecome distracted to objects. Like a butter lamp that is located in the draft, itwill not become stable. As such, the vivid appearance of wisdom will not arise.Therefore, you should apply yourself to both amatha and vipayanequally."

-- Kamalala's Bhavanakrama

The order of attainment must be amatha first and then vipayansecond basedupon a single particular object of concentration. Without following this order, itis true one may achieve some understanding of the subject with analyticalmeditation, but it will not have the strength of stability and will not be effectiveat eradicating afflictive emotions to achieve an uncontaminated state of mind.

Vipayanmeditation always comes after achieving proficiency in amatha. Invipayan, one is applying one's analysis and special wisdom or insight to theobject of concentration to determine, for example, whether it is selfless in nature,whether it is permanent, or whether it is impermanent, etc. One needs themental stability of amatha for vipayanto be fully effective.

In the context of the three higher trainings, the Buddha said "abiding in moraldiscipline, meditative stabilization (calm-abiding) is obtained. Having obtaineda meditative stabilization, one must cultivate wisdom (via vipayan, analyticalmeditation)."

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By our very nature, we are already endowed with a certain stability of mind andanalytical quality of mind, but through these amatha and vipayanmeditations we groom them and increase their potency so that they becomefully empowered to allow us to reach our spiritual goals.

Some non-Buddhist schools are content with the effects ofamatha meditationalone in their efforts to overcome the afflictions of the desire realm in which we

live and to achieve the samdhi realm and the powers, qualities, or siddhiswhich one can attain through prolonged amatha meditation. But the Buddhistunderstanding is that this is not a path to liberation when used alone withoutthe wisdom gained through the special insight of vipayanmeditation in whichone analyzes the nature of phenomena with respect to their permanence and soforth. amatha meditation alone is insufficient to cut the root of all delusions --it must be conjoined with special insight meditation.

There are eight domains or levels of concentration that can be obtained throughamatha meditation -- four in the form realm and four in the formless realm --but these samdhis are still within sasra and are not liberation in themselves.

There are a total of 18 concentration stages (samdhi realms) and on top ofthose, there are four formless realms and it is those four formless realms (the"peak of sasra") which the practitioner of the mundanegoal of amatha isstriving for. Even when having reached these formless realms via amathameditation, one has not cut the root of mental delusions which bind us tosasra. These attainments are also achievable by non-Buddhists in theirpractice of meditation. So again, amatha meditation is not unique to Buddhismand is not by itself sufficient for spiritual liberation.

Sometimes the process ofamatha meditation is likened to taming an elephant.To train an elephant, you need a strong pillar to attach the elephant to.

Similarly to train the mind you need an object of attention or concentration. Totrain the elephant you also need a strong chain to tie the elephant to the pillarwhich is similar to the mindfulness (or mental awareness) of amathameditation which keeps the mind on its object of attention. Finally to train theelephant you need an attentive trainer perhaps with a training hook. This issimilar to the alertness and introspection one needs to conduct amathameditation which brings back focus on the object of meditation when the mindwanders.

To engage in amatha meditation, it is necessary that we have first completedthe prerequisites to achieving successful amatha. amatha meditation is aboutcultivating clarity and stability of mind. In order actually to achieve this, wemust develop the causes and conditions that will result in developing calm-abiding. In order to carry out amatha meditation, you must take care of orfulfill the preconditions or preliminaries, especially if you plan to conduct aamatha retreat. You must choose a peaceful, auspicious, or harmonious placein which to carry out the meditation which is free of causes of illness or harm,

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for example from animals, spirits, or ngas. Your place must have easy access toyour basic necessities for survival such as food and water. You also need tohave a devoted assistant with an affectionate or close relationship to you whocan help you with your needs or if you fall into a state of ill health, etc. Youshould choose someone who has a similar spiritual vision as you, and who is

not temperamental, etc. You should come to a consensus with your assistantregarding various problems that may arise. For example, one device that wasused in Tibet for retreatants who fell asleep was that the assistant would use aball of cotton attached to a string, dip it in water, and throw it at your foreheadto make you wake up and refresh you. It is also important that you have someallowance to come out of your retreat place (especially as a beginner) to strollaround and relax, do some walking meditation and so forth. Also your placeshould have a quiet atmosphere without much commotion to distract you.

Furthermore, you need a comfortable cushion to sit on and then you mustperform the six preliminaries associated with allmeditation:

(1) cleaning the surroundings (sweeping the floor daily, etc.).(2) arranging the altar with representations of the Buddha's body,speech, and mind.

(3) making offerings to the altar daily.(4) sitting in the seven-fold posture of Vairocana Buddha (explained

below).(5) generating the proper motivation for your meditation (conjoined with

bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of allsentient beings).

(6) visualizing the refuge field and taking refuge prior to meditation. This does not have to be a very complex visualization. Essentially

you are inviting a host of divinities to your presence as your guide,and also gathering merit, for example through making maalaofferings.

Other essentials for the meditator are that one needs to have few cravings formaterial things, little desire, and contentment with one's allotment, for exampleof food, shelter, and clothing. You must be moderate and modest in food,clothing, and personal belongings, which should be kept to a strict minimum,especially during prolonged retreats. One must also be fully equipped with theinstructions for meditation and most importantly have complete moral conductso that prior unethical conduct is not a major distraction for one s practice.

There are very few who are able to actualize amatha meditation, though manyattempt it. This is not because they do not know the process for carrying out themeditation, but because most people do not fulfill or complete the preliminaries(especially the accumulation of merit, etc.). Thus, these preliminaries (Tibetanngndro) are of considerable importance. Without them, one may meditate formany years and be disappointed with the little progress one makes on the pathto spiritual liberation.

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If a practitioner is predominately afflicted by numerous distractions and randomthoughts, then the object of meditation is often recommended to be the breath,counting it (if that is helpful) and focusing one's attention and concentration onits movements and the processes of one's own breathing.

The most important thing is that in meditation we need to achieve clarity;therefore we must have an object of concentration to focus on. The object youchoose can be anything that inspires you -- anything that attracts you to themeditation. The object you use is not limited -- you have the freedom to choose.For instance, you may use a Buddha object or statue. Anything that is special toyou is suitable. We commonly use our breath. You can also practice amathawith the object of concentration as a mantra such as O Mai Padme H. Wecould even use our own awarenessas this very object of attention, though this isa much more profound meditation.

If your object is a visual one, focus on the object at the level of your eyes. A

smaller object is better for concentration. If it is a Buddha image -- look at it asin the form of a living person -- not flesh and bone, but in the form of pure light.

After you look at the object to familiarize yourself with it; when you do themeditation, you look at the object with your mind's eyein amatha. Remember,staring at the object is not amatha -- we are training our mind not our eyes.Meditation is not about visual consciousness, but about mental awareness. Onlya change in our minds can change our outlook on the world. If we change ourlens that we are viewing through, we change the landscape that we see.

The eyes can be open but should not be fixed on the object during the

meditation.

In the beginning you may not be able to hold many details of the object in yourmind. You may only have a rough picture. That is fine -- clarity will improvewith time. Do not change the object every day. Keep using one object anddevelop one-pointed concentration on it. Use the same object over an extendedtime.

In meditation, we are looking for quality, not quantity especially for beginners.Therefore it is important to make the time of meditation short, even breaking up15 minutes into two or three sessions at the beginning, and focus on quality.Otherwise, if you carry on for half an hour or more, you may not experience anybenefit and you may even associate meditation itself with boredom. Makesessions short in a way that interest and enthusiasm for meditation still remain.You must use good judgment when it comes to meditation. Otherwise just byseeing your cushions, you may experience a feeling of boredom or aversion.Like two friends who go their own ways on good terms, they look forward toseeing each other again; unlike two friends who have been in the same houseand have "worn-out their welcome."

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We need to understand what the impediments are to achieving good amatha.These are known as the Five Faults. These are five obstacles to good amathameditation and to these obstacles we can apply Eight Antidotes.

(I) The first obstacle or fault is laziness(not having the motivation to do themeditation) and this is one of the main problems holding us back from goodmeditation. It is our strongest adversary in our attempt to achieve amatha. Thatis why the first four of the antidotes are antidotes to laziness. They are (1)Confidence(the stronger your confidence in the Dharma and the Three Jewels,the stronger your effort will be in overcoming laziness), (2) Yearning, (3) Effort,and (4) Pliancy.

Laziness is something that can attack us from the very beginning even when weare trying to carry out the preliminaries. One type of laziness is being distractedby unwholesome activities. Another type is self-degradation or feeling that we

are incapable of carrying out the task. Still another type of laziness isprocrastination or inactivity despite the desire to do meditation. There are fourantidotes to laziness because it is such a powerful fault. The first of the fourantidotes, "confidence" or "faith," is achieved by reflecting on the benefits ofmeditation and its purpose. This can even create a craving for meditation andtherefore persistence in the meditation. If this antidote is strong, you do notreally need to apply so much effort in the other three antidotes.

(II) The second obstacle is forgetting the instructions for meditation, and theantidote is (5) Mindfulnesswhich helps achieve firmness and stability on theobject of concentration. (In this context, mindfulness refers more to not

forgetting or losing one's object of focus or attention.)

(III) The third obstacle has two components -- mental dullness (or "sinking")andexcitement(or distraction), also known as laxityand agitation. These arethe two strongest factors opposing good concentration. Although there aremany other mental states that can impede meditation, these are the mostimportant when one is well underway in one's cultivation of amatha. Forinstance, for beginners, distraction by desire or hatred may be the initial hurdlethat one must overcome (or it may be one of the "20 Near Delusions" asdiscussed during the bLorigteachings).

Laxity comes only in relation to the object of meditation. It is a distractionwhich makes the body and mind less active and therefore less serviceable. It isa degradation of attention or enthusiasm for the meditation -- a loss of thesharpness of focus. Subtle laxityis when there is some clarity of focus on theobject of meditation but the sharpness of focus is lost. Gross laxityis when welose both the sharpness and the limpidity (clarity) of the object. Ata pointedout that many meditators mistake a state of subtle laxity for amatha itself.

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Excitement, on the other hand, is an emotional or mental state that is aderivative of desire/attachment and views its object is being pleasant.Excitement means the mind is wandering, roaming on to other thoughts and offthe object of concentration -- usually onto some kind of craving or attachment torandom thoughts that come up -- following them as a sort of fantasy rather than

just letting them go.

Our mind is so complex that these obstacles can begin to occur even with theobject of concentration fairly well-fixed in our mind. These things can be goingon underneath the meditation. Mental dullness means having a sense ofheaviness, a lack of clarity, or sleepiness. The antidote to both of theseconditions is (6) Vigilanceor introspectionof our mind and watching how well itis focusing mindfully on the object of concentration. Through vigilance one isable to recognize immediately when one has been overcome by laxity orexcitement so one will know when to apply the antidotes to these.

(IV) The fourth obstacle isnot applying an antidote when one is needed. Thisis not applying the appropriate antidote when you know in your meditation youare falling into laxity or excitement (or any other consciousness). (7)Application(of the antidotes) of course is the remedy for non-application.

(V) The fifth obstacle is applying an antidote where one is not needed. This isjust the opposite of obstacle (IV). If we over-apply an antidote, for instance todullness, then we can overshoot into distraction by raising our mind-state toomuch. Therefore there must be a balance. If one applies an antidote tomeditation where one is not needed, this itself creates a problem. If everythingis fine with the meditation, just stay in a neutral state. Here the antidote to this

fault is understood as the neutral state, so (8) resting in Equanimityis theremedy for over-application of the antidotes.

To summarize the eight antidotes, the first four are antidotes to laziness -- faith(which, in this context, doesn't mean some sort of belief in a supernatural being,but a delight in wholesome activities such as meditation, and a belief in thepositive benefits of what we are doing), aspiration, effort, and pliancy (which isyour life becoming more calm -- finding more joy and energy in life -- asuppleness. This is the actual antidote to laziness -- when an inner calmunfolds.) The antidote to forgetfulness is mindfulness. The antidotes to mentallaxity and mental excitement are alertness and introspection respectively. Theantidote to non-application is application of the antidotes. And the antidote toover-application is to rest in equilibrium and not apply the antidotes where theyare not necessary.

Sometimes one good antidote to meditative distractions is reflecting on sasra,our precious human birth, impermanence, the inevitability of death, etc., andthen returning the mind to the object of meditation.

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The process of amatha meditation is sometimes described sequentially in theNine Mental Abidings. These mental stages are more of a continuum in ourdevelopment of calm-abiding than a step-by-step progression.

(1) The first level is Mental Placement, fixing the mind on a certain object, forinstance the breath. This is the beginning of the process. At this point, you mayrecognize how distracted you have been for so many years and how you havebeen living with that. At this level of experience, you place your concentrationand then your mind falls away from the object quickly because of distraction.

(2) Continuous placement(or "continuous fixation"). Now you are able tomaintain your focus for some time; you have a relaxation now of yourexperience of your distractions and you are more focused on your object. Stillthe period of distraction for you is longer than the period of good focus on yourobject (you keep bringing your mind back to the object of meditation time and

time again and you find periods of, say, three to four minutes of focus).

(3) Patched placement(or "re-placement"). Here the time period of yourfocused concentration is longer than that of your distractions. You are easilyable to "patch" any distraction. Here, you are feeling that the distractionsthemselves are getting exhausted and mindfulness becomes complete; forinstance, you noticewhenever the mind wanders and you are able to bring itback soon.

(4) Close placement. Here, you have almostsubdued your distractions and thelaxity or excitement that are left are only at the subtle level -- the course level

has been defeated -- but you still need vigilance. (Here, your focus is quitestrong, but there is the danger of subtle sinking/laxity therefore it is important toincrease alertness.)

(5) Subduing(or "taming" or "controlling"). Here, we have some danger fromsubtle laxityand we still need to apply vigilancewith regard to this. Since there isthis danger, we normally heighten the mode of our mind for instance bythinking about love and compassion, death, or impermanence, so that we do notbecome dull. But we must avoid heightening the mind too much to the point ofsubtle excitement or distractions.

(6) Pacifying. In this stage, as above, we take care not to overdo theheightening of the mode of our mind. At these fifth and sixth mental states, themeditator starts to experience feelings of pleasure, joy, and rejoicing and afeeling of one's mind being almost fused with the object of concentration. Also,at these stages, one is not overcome by the grosser levels of desire/attachment orother afflictive emotions within the desire realm -- of course, one has not yet cutthe root of these emotions or eradicated them completely. Still, there is noemotional intrusion into one's meditation and there is a strong sense of longing

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toward higher states of meditation. At the actual attainment of amatha, eventhough the meditator may be physically living in the desire realm, his mind nolonger belongs to the desire realm.

(7) Complete pacification. Here there are no more dangers from the obstacles,

but we still have not yet reached the point of pliancy and mental quiescence,therefore we still need to persevere and move forward. Still we have notachieved our goal of one-pointed fixation without effort. In the seventh mentalstate, the person has pacified most of the afflictive emotions within the desirerealm and there are no more hurdles caused by laxity or excitement.

(8) Single-pointed concentration (or one-pointed attention). Here we need toapply only a little effort to have single-pointed concentration without anyproblems. Only a little push is needed. In the eighth mental state, one extendsthe state achieved in the seventh mental state and also one is able to focus on theobject of concentration without any effort -- with complete spontaneity. This is

also known as "Solitary Continuity" in some texts. Some meditators confuse thisstate with the complete attainment of amatha.

(9) Balanced Placement(or resting in equipoise or equanimity). On the ninthlevel, you need no effort for single-pointed concentration. Here, not only isthere spontaneity of focus, but one can maintain this state for as long as onedesires. Here, mindfulness and vigilance have been "fired from their jobs"because they are no longer needed since the mind does not waver from its objectof focus.

Even at the ninth level, we have not achieved the full goal of amatha --

complete mental quiescence. This only comes after achieving mental andphysicalpliancy, the precursor to the bliss of mental quiescence.

After achieving the ninth level you come to the point that you can put yourmind on whatever object you choose and have it be fixed in one-pointedness.Therefore you have pacified the winds of the mind.

The Four Attentionsare simply another system for describing the process ofgoing through the stages of meditation. (1) Forceful Attentioncorresponds tothe first mental stage (Mental Placement). (2) Interrupted Attentioncorresponds to the second through the seventh of the nine mental stages. Here,there is always the chance that laxity and excitement as well as numerous otherimpediments can obscure one's meditation. (3) Uninterrupted Attentioncorresponds to the eighth mental stage. (4) Spontaneous Attentioncorrespondsto the ninth mental stage. Still, at this point one has not achieved amatha. Thisis the last moment before one fully actualizes complete amatha. One attainsamatha only when one attains mental and physical pliancy -- a type of ecstasyin conjunction with the mind of the ninth mental stage. At this point, one may

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attain siddhis, for instance clairvoyance, and one has the perfect basis to work onattaining the four stages of samdhi in the form realm and the four stages ofsamdhi in the formless realm. Of course, as previously mentioned, these stillbelong to the mundane benefits of cultivating amatha meditation and arewithin the realm of sasra.

When one has attained amatha and has subdued the deleterious mental winds,it also has an effect of imparting physical ease, giving the ability to putourselves in any position or do any movement without any trouble. Mental andphysical dysfunctions are cleared and you feel uplifted, light in mind and body,and blissful -- free from discomfort. You may even feel your body isdisappearing and dissolving into the object of concentration which is evenfurther uplifting. This is extraordinary mental quiescence.

There are many metaphors or similes which are used to describe the process ofamatha meditation. For example, the experience of amatha is like "the sun

unobstructed by clouds." Thus the mind is focused on the breath, unobscuredby distractions.

Also described is a mental perception, "like an eagle gliding in the sky." Theeagle is quite a large bird that just needs to flap its wings once or twice and thenglides for long period of time unlike the smaller birds which need to flap theirwings more rapidly. The eagle has qualities of spaciousness, effortlessness, andgracefulness.

Another metaphor for the mind of amatha is "a sparrow flying through the skywithout leaving a trace." This metaphor emphasizes being present in the

moment, not tracing or allowing our mind to dwell and be distracted in the pathof our thoughts that have gone or have been ongoing.

Another metaphor is placing the mind "like a great ship on the ocean." Themetaphor of a great ship on the ocean emphasizes equanimity-- not trying tosuppress the random thoughts that arise, and not pursuing them, but allowingthem to fall away. They will naturally calm down. Just as a massive ship is notswayed from side to side by the impact of the waves against its hull, the mind isnot swayed by the arousal of random thoughts. This is sometimes alternatelydescribed as like the stillness of a lake where there are ripples on the surface,but below is calm and quiet. When the conditions arise, ripples will appear onthe surface of the lake, but they will subside on their own into the stillness of thedeep lake. We relate to the random thoughts that occur during our meditationlike these ripples and dwell in the calmness of the depthof the lake rather thanon the surface of the lake.

Another metaphor is "having mind like that of a child looking at a complexmural in a temple for the first time." This is having the beginner's mind of

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innocence, openness, inquisitiveness, and being non-judgmental about whateverobjects are presented to the mind.

After achieving mental quiescence, there are different ways of using this tool inlife. Some people's purpose is to achieve certain levels or degrees of dhyna.

Others have the goal of achieving common siddhis, such as clairvoyance and soforth. But the fact is, no matter what kind of powers you have, these are allwithin sasra. So the reality is that when your karma in this life is exhausted,you will not have escaped from sasra. So there is no lasting benefit inachieving the magic attainments or common siddhis.

From the Buddhist perspective, mental quiescence should be applied as a tool toachieve some long-term benefit, not focused only on this lifetime but also futurelifetimes. So we use this mental quiescence attained by amatha meditation tocultivate:

(1) Renunciation

(2) Bodhicittaand (3) Wisdomunderstanding emptiness-- the wisdom thatapprehends the reality of existence.

These are the three principal aspects of the Buddhist path that leads toenlightenment.

Buddhism understands all our suffering to be the result of our previous karmaand the self-cherishing ego -- the ignorance which causes the false notion of theself. So the main goal of our practice is to understand how we can uproot thisignorance -- the grasping at the self.

The wisdom of understanding emptiness and ignorance (of thinking we exist ina substantial way) is the direct antidote to ignorance and thus to suffering.Anything else is merely cutting off the branches of a tree when what we reallyneed is to uprootthe entire tree. We do in fact exist, but not in a concrete, staticway.

Talking about the way we apprehend how we exist in this world, we often usethe word "selfless" -- this does not mean that we do not exist -- we do exist independence on many factors-- but we humans tend to go beyond that in our mindand imagine a concrete, self-sufficient "self" -- an "I" -- and thatself does notexist; and thatidea has to be uprooted to achieve lasting happiness andliberation from sasra.

These two together -- amatha (mental quiescence), and the wisdom ofunderstanding emptiness -- are the tools that we used to uproot the source ofsasra. "Special insight" is a term that we use when our wisdom meditation(vipayan) has been effective and results in a state of bliss. One really needs toproceed fully through the nine stages of amatha before the practice of

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vipayanmeditation (analytical meditation) can have its strongest effect andachieve special insight. But you may not be perfect in your practice of amathaand still may benefit from the practice of vipayan(emptiness meditation).You can still benefit from the other practices. You may not be an expert with ahammer and a saw yet, but you can still begin to build your house.

"Through the process of familiarization,There is nothing that does not become easier." -- ntideva

Now we have had this auspicious teaching, we had good intention, and wewere engaged in wholesome behavior so there is definitely merit from ourefforts. Let us dedicate this merit to all sentient beings.

____________________________________________________________________

Notes consolidated from sessions with:

Lhading Rinpoche, 9/11/2004Geshe Lobsang Tenzin, 1/21/2006Geshe Lhabu Dhondup, 7/15/2006

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